


Fortunate Events

by purplebylove



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 21:57:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7950673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplebylove/pseuds/purplebylove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one was sure how it had happened; no one was sure why it had happened. There was, however, a unanimous agreement that they needed to change Jace back, and quick, because he was starting to look like one pissed of koala.</p><p>(Or, the one where Jace gets turned into a koala via magic and clings to Simon relentlessly, which somehow leads to a confession of feelings)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fortunate Events

No one was sure how it had happened; no one was sure _why_ it had happened. There was, however, a unanimous agreement that they needed to change Jace back, and quick, because he was starting to look like one pissed of koala.

"So," Simon says, looking around his circle of friends. If you could count Alec as a friend. Which he didn't, not because he didn't like Alec, but because he liked himself alive. "What do we do?"

This is met with an array of looks, ranging from the deathly glare Alec always seems to have fixed on him to a shared exasperated expression that's pulling Izzy and Clary's brow together. Magnus, on the contrary, looks quite amused. "Seeing as this is not my area of expertise, I would advise you to proceed with caution."

Clary rolls her eyes, bending down to reach out a hand to the furry creature in the center of all this madness. Koala-Jace swats at her, giving her a look of indignation. "Okay, doesn't like to be touched. Got it."

Koala-Jace, however, has different ideas. He scrambles over to Simon, reaching his short arms up and making a whining sound. Simon looks at Clary, who shrugs, and Simon sighs, picking up koala-Jace.

"Well," Magnus says, clasping his hands together, "guess we should hit the books!" 

\---

And hit the books, Simon did. But not to figure out how to undo this. No, he had no idea how to take care of a koala, even an actually-human one, so it was up to him to keep Jace alive. He could write an entire English essay on how ironic all of it was. If he had the time. 

"Let's see," Simon says, struggling to turn a page. It had been hours since this whole debacle started, and Jace hadn't let go of him. Even though he had immediately attached to Simon, however, it seems Clary was right; he did _not_ like to be touched. 

Simon had figured this out by trying to pet Jace, nearly losing a finger in the process. And, really, Simon could understand. It was like being put on exhibit at the zoo or something, demeaning in many ways. So Simon had resolved to let koala-Jace cling to his arm and ignore him as he tried to figure out... all of this.

"Hm, says here that koalas eat eucalyptus leaves and habitate in the eucalyptus tree," Simon says out loud, to no one, really, but himself. This was something he knew from basic science classes, but had been hoping to find an alternative. This was problematic, he soon found out, because it was almost entirely illegal to keep koalas as pets. "Where the hell am I going to find eucalyptus leaves?!"

Simon pulls up his phone, googling pet stores near me, and hoping for the best.

\---

So apparently magic koalas didn't require as much as real koalas did, at least not in the ways of food and environment. Koala-Jace was completely content with living on Simon's arm (which, at this point, was about to fall off) and sharing whatever he seemed to be eating.

In turns of affection, however, koala-Jace could not get enough. He wouldn't let Simon touch him, and would periodically bite him, just to show off how much he still hated Simon. But Jace couldn't seem to sleep unless it was on Simon's chest, and he was constantly nuzzling Simon and climbing all over him. 

Which would make for great blackmail, Simon had noted out loud, earning him a bite that he was sure would scar.

"How much longer do I have to put up with this?" Simon asks, walking into Magnus' loft. The whole gang had been poring over books for what felt like weeks but had really only been like four days, but had found nothing. "He's really bitey! Couldn't one of you take him off me?"

"Fortunately for us, he won't let you rid yourself of him," Izzy says, smirking. She goes over, runs a hand down the koalas back, the only one who's actually allowed to do this, and Simon let's out a long sigh.

"How much closer are we to finding a solution?" Simon inquires to Magnus.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Magnus mutters, flipping the page of a big, leather bound book dramatically. "I think I've been through almost all the animal magic books I own."

"Maybe it's in another one," Simon says off-handeadly, glancing around the room. 

"Because some mundane-turned-vampire of about two years knows more than a four hundred year old warlock?" Alec retorts, defending his boyfriend. Magnus smiles, and Alec returns it, despite the fact that there is a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Well it has to be here somewhere," Simon says, grabbing a random book off the shelf and turning to the first page.

It had really been a long week.

\---

Simon wasn't used to getting texts at almost two in the morning. At least, he wasn't until he made friends with a bunch of demon hunters and a magical warlock. They always kept him on his toes. Actually, it was mostly Clary; he's sure the others would gladly exclude him, but his best friend told him everything.

Still, it was always a rude awakening - quite literally - when he was called to combat at the most ungodly hours. 

Except this time.

Simon reaches over to his nightstand to unplug his glowing phone from the charger and unlock it with his thumbprint, tapping on the text notification. He's careful not to wake the sleeping koala - he had done it once before, and almost didn't come out alive. 

_Found a lead_

It's a text from Clary, followed by a link. Simon clicks it, and almost chokes on his saliva from reading the title. This causes koala-Jace to shift, but fortunately he stays asleep, cuddling closer into Simon's armpit. Simon scrolls, reading the entire article. He lets out a sigh, because of course these things always happen to him.

\---

"So Jace was turned into an animal because he's in love with me, is what you're telling me?"

"It's a very underused spell," Magnus explains, "and I'm not surprised I hadn't thought of it. But many warlocks who want to remain... traditional, per se, still use this spell."

"So how do we break the spell?" Alec asks, leaning against a table, perusing a book of his own that Simon knew had nothing to do with their case. He, apparently, was enjoying Simon's predicament.

"That, my dear boy, I do not know," Magnus says, and Simon groans. 

"What was the use of calling me over here, then?"

"Well, I thought this book might help," Magnus says, handing it to Simon, who takes it warily.

\---

He had read the book. Three times. Almost four, but he had given up that time, because there was nothing new to find, and he was tired, and he was frustrated, and he was angry, because Jace would have gladly let Raphael and Camille eat him alive (quite literally) but here he was, the only person who had really been trying to work this out.

"Why couldn't you just talk to me?" Simon says, staring up at the ceiling from his bed. He never liked sleeping on his back much, but he had gotten used to it. He had gotten used to a lot of things by now. "Just told me, and we wouldn't be in this situation."

And as much as Simon hated to admit it, he wasn't actually that mad. He felt closer to Jace, in this odd kind of way. He had been with him every hour of every day nearly, except for showers (he tried to imagine that, and blanched at the thought) and it seemed as if the longer they were forced to be together, the more Jace grew to dislike him. Although Simon would hate to see how things turned out once Jace was turned back.

"You know, you do this. You make things complicated. First with Clary, now this," Simon relates, shaking his head. His hand instinctively comes up to run through his hair, his mind racing. He was just so tired. "You could've just told me, and I might have felt the same way."

Simon pauses, his hand resting against his scalp. He fists a clump of hair, sitting up quickly. This causes Jace to emit a squeak, scrambling to climb up Simon's chest.

"Shit," Simon groans, "I do feel the same way."

"I'm in love with you."

At first the dark room was filled with silence.

And then a bright, yet soft, pink light and a loud sound that Simon could only describe as grating, and his chest felt like their was suddenly a weight on it; he couldn't breathe.

If this was death, Simon thought, at least it had happened before Jace had had the chance to kill him.

Except, it was Jace, and Simon wasn't dying at all. Somehow, he had found the magic words, and Jace was transformed from his koala self to his actual self. Which would've been a relief, if not for Simon's confession.

"So..." Simon says from beneath Jace, who is propped up on his elbows, looking down at him, "you heard that, huh?"

"Just a little," Jace smirks, pushing up to sit back on the bed. He doesn't even look the slightest bit mad, Simon notes with relief.

"This is all your fault, you know."

"How so?" Jace asks, looking irritated. "I've been flirting with you for the past year and a half, and yet you're the idiot who didn't realize it."

"See, that right there," Simon points accusingly, "all you ever do is insult me and try to kill me at training practice."

"Yeah, not my smoothest tactic," Jace says, bringing up a hand to scratch awkwardly at the back of his neck.

"Now this," he gestures between them, "is working. Communication solves everything."

"Okay, so what do you want?"

Simon looks at him for a moment. He hadn't thought of that, really. He hadn't expected Jace to change back so soon, if ever. "I'm not sure."

"See, not so easy, is it?"

Simon sighs, shrugging. "It's just scary. Here I am just now realizing how I feel about you, and we're being forced to suddenly decided what this means."

"Maybe it doesn't mean anything, maybe it doesn't have to mean anything." Jace says, then from the look of disappointment on Simon's face, adds, "Not yet, anyways."

Simon nods his agreement, then, almost as if he's hesitating says, "Maybe... Maybe it means you should kiss me."

It's short and sweet, just a crashing of lips, and there's a burning in him that longs for more, yet he knows that neither of them are there yet. But it's a start, and Simon can't help but smile at the prospect of new beginnings, because it's the start of something great, he knows.

And to think, all of this was because Jace had turned into a koala.

**Author's Note:**

> So I borrowed this idea from keynoi, and while I'm sure it's not exactly what she pictured, and it didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, either, I kind of like this. Took about an hour and is unbeta'd, so there's that, but I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> (Also, be expecting a Saphael update soon, too ;))


End file.
